The hospital doctor or nurse will assess, clean and dress the wound. If you have an open wound that is bleeding excessively, it may be stitched up straight away to prevent blood loss, despite the risk of infection. An infected wound can lead to serious complications (see below).

A short course of antibiotics may be prescribed for large or deep wounds, to prevent infection. Antibiotics are also used when a person has a weakened immune system – for example, as a result of a health condition such as HIV and AIDS, or from receiving certain treatments such as chemotherapy.